Pro Kit vs. a mere "Gigging" Kit

You think your Western trap set is some absolute ideal, but it's not. It's a rank newcomer to the world of music, barely 100 years old. I play drums with histories that go back thousands of years - and just 10 years. Many instruments have changed radically over the past 500 years and trap sets are still in their infancy and evolving. To me, you sound like a whiny, uninformed teenager who understands little except his own interpretations and opinions.

My little cocktail kit doesn't sound worse than your standard trap set, nor better. It just fits with different situations. Your standard, ho-hum, one-size-fits-all-drum set would be very unwelcome and prohibited from a lot of the gigs I take my cocktail set to, because in an intimate setting, the audience would find the sound of the standard kit to be too loud and overbearing.

Actually, many people find the standard drum kit loud and oafish in most settings. You are probably oblivious to that, as you are oblivious to the possibilities of other types of drum types and setups and the general evolution of your instrument.

lol

I sometimes bring just a cajon and an egg shaker :)
 
To me, you sound like a whiny, uninformed teenager who understands little except his own interpretations and opinions.
Ouch, a bit tough that DMC. Although Bo's comment was slightly blinkered regarding a wide range of gig applications, I don't think it was personal towards you. Your cocktail kit is fantastic, & sounds great too, especially in the appropriate setting. I think Bo was thinking in terms of higher energy gigs.
 
If you are playing out ,you should think in terms of a "workhorse" kit. You can have professional gear and not have the most expensive finish on the rarest wood.
Buy something that's nice,sounds good but won't give you a heart attack when you find a scratch. It's like buying a nice car for your garage and never driving it. If your cheap kit sounds so good,why do you need the nice one at home?
 
Because a little bar with a hundred people in it just isn't worth a new gouge in my nice lacquered finish... But the wrapped "gig kit" I run with? No problem. Of course, I believe that drum sounds are mostly in the wood and heads, not the cost of the drum. I can usually make a kit some might call "crappy" sound just fine.

Also, I tune, and head my kits differently. The "nicer" of the two stays in the "studio" miced up and tuned/headed for recording. I have the "gig kit" setup much more for a small room with no mics.
 
I subscribe to using the best stuff to play out with. I don't care if my DW's get scratched, it's not important. It won't affect the sound. Of course I try and not let it happen but if it does, I don't fret much. Battle scars. I let all the drummers at the open mic I do use my DW's and even my best bronze. The only thing I really worry about is my 16 and 17" crash cymbals. If someone abused them, I don't care, I'd go up mid song and remove them, but haven't had to go there. The guys that use my kit don't abuse anything.
However every situation is different. If I had to share my kit with bashers....they would need to provide the breakables.
It's my bronze that I have concerns over, the drums...you have to be pretty animalistic to mess them up.

But my situation cannot be compared to others. I do like playing my best stuff out for sure. I always want to put my best foot forward, I don't care if it's the crappiest dive bar, I am dressed nice and have top of the line gear. That's just how I roll. You never know who will be there.
 
...Drums that look like Coca-Cola cans, see-through drums in different colors that look like jellybeans, drums with lights, etc.,....we've been made to look more goofy than some guitarists!

How did this come about and how can we stop it?

It came about because drummers chose to purchase those jellybean colors (which they obviously don't consider to be so goofy) or put lights in their drums. Nobody made them do it.

And we shouldn't be trying to stop it any more than we should be bothered by it. Both wastes of energy, IMO.


I know a gentleman who brings his Martin HD-28 acoustic guitar to Disneyland everyday to actually play bluegrass music

That's his choice. But, mathematically speaking, there is far less chance that it's going to be a problem for him than it is for your average drummer. He has one piece to look after. I would have 7 drums and 8 cymbals. That's 15 times more opportunities for disaster.

And to the main point, there is no flipping way in Hell that I'm going to take my kit to regular gigs. It is a studio kit and it was designed expressly for that purpose. If I did regular gigs, I'd buy something at the same quality level but with a more durable finish. If this bums anyone out then they are welcome to swing by the studio and watch me track.
 
If you are playing out ,you should think in terms of a "workhorse" kit. You can have professional gear and not have the most expensive finish on the rarest wood.
Buy something that's nice,sounds good but won't give you a heart attack when you find a scratch. It's like buying a nice car for your garage and never driving it. If your cheap kit sounds so good,why do you need the nice one at home?

Because of the reasons already mentioned in the thread.

Heads are another issue, my regular bar kit would be fine with less than perfect heads. But my home kit would need to have nice heads tuned well, or I would get frustrated and annoyed at the sound, and be put off practicing. At home you probably have a better sounding room, and have more time to tune and get different sounds.

Also in my case, the unpaid originals gigs are a lot louder than the paid corporate type gigs, so a basher kit is ideal.

In saying this, if I bought my Saturn used and it was already beat up, I would have less of a problem taking it to any gig. But I bought it new and would like to keep it that way as best I can.
 
All of my drum kits are inexpensive kits.
They are kept in perfect playing condition.
They are clean, presentable, and well tuned.
They sound better than good and I am proud to play them.
I have no issues with my sound.
People see that my kits look good and they hear that they sound good.
What else is there?
The people that see me play are happy with me and my kits.
If I were to show up at my next gig with a $4000 kit nothing would change for me.
My performance would be the same as it is now and no one would notice anything different.
Only I would know that I was playing an expensive pro kit.
 
You only have so many years on this earth to play, your life is the blink of an eye,man.....why ever play anything else but what you WANT to play and enjoy it.
 
When the guitarist leaves his non-replaceable >$10,000 guitar on stage for some hack to get up and beat to hell, I'll leave my drums up there. Until then, I'm bringing a Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit for those situations. On gigs where I am positive I'll be the only person playing my drums, I'll break out the Camcos, the Sonors, the Slingerlands etc.
 
I must be the only drummer with one drumset. I can't afford nor do I need two or more drumsets. I own a pro kit and its a rare one on top of it. It has and is still serving me well every weekend. I take very good care of my Yamahas and are rock solid. If I went out and bought a 5,000 shell pack of Maple Customs you bet I would be using the heck out of them.

I have been a mechanic for 25 years as well and own pro tools, am I suppost to leave my nice 30k worth of Snap On tools at home because they might get dirty or scratched.
The difference between pro grade and mid grade rather its tools or intruments is the quality and durability and reliability.
 
I have been a mechanic for 25 years as well and own pro tools, am I suppost to leave my nice 30k worth of Snap On tools at home because they might get dirty or scratched.

I'm much younger and my expensive kit will one day be sold to fund an overseas trip or the deposit for a house and a kit in excellent condition fetches more than one in gigged condition. Different strokes for different folks. I don't own anything worth even a quarter of 30k yet!
 
yesdog brings up an interesting point.
I am also an Automotive Technician.
I stopped using pro tools 15 years ago because I found that it was more cost effective to simply buy inexpensive tools and throw them away and replace them when they wore out.
Of course both yesdog and myself make a lot more money with out tools that we do with our drumming.
It isn't cost effective for me to own any drums if I look at the pure economics.
Drums are a hobby for me and anything that I spend on them is disposable income.
The other thing is that pro tools are replaced for life if they break or wear out.
Drums are not!
 
For most of my life, I agree with Bo.

My pro kit went just about everywhere I did. I got very nice cases for it. I played hundreds of gigs with it, in a large variety of settings. And over 15 years later, my Premier Signia still looks relatively brand new. Most people who see it think it's never been out of the house, when in fact, quite the opposite.

But you know what? It's been a lot of work taking care of it. Loading in and out of the nice cases, keeping it covered at gigs, looking out for leaky pipes, etc, etc. I'm just sort of over it. Loading and unloading is just such an ordeal into itself with a nice kit.

For my next kit, I want a kit with a wrap, once that I can just toss in the car without cases and not worry about it getting scratched. I want a kit that if someone spills a beer on it, I can just wipe it off later. I want a kit that isn't so much darn work to take care of on a gig.

So, if/when I get something else, it's going to be a gigging kit.
 
You only have so many years on this earth to play, your life is the blink of an eye,man.....why ever play anything else but what you WANT to play and enjoy it.

I think that logic works both ways. Not everyone can enjoy playing out in all situations with their top of the line gear. I certainly would not. I could be just as happy playing a less expensive wrap kit.
 
If as an automotive mechanic you only owned 15 tools worth 500.00 each it may be different. Snap On is great but you have 100's of individual pieces that can be replaced cheaply or under warrantee if they break. Drums are not that way. I understand you thought but I also would have a set with a durable wrap on it and not a lacquered stain to beat up in a bar. And as Bob says, if a 500.00 set can be made to look good and sound good, fine. The 5000.00 guitar can be put in a case during breaks, drums cannnot.
 
If as an automotive mechanic you only owned 15 tools worth 500.00 each it may be different. Snap On is great but you have 100's of individual pieces that can be replaced cheaply or under warrantee if they break. Drums are not that way. I understand you thought but I also would have a set with a durable wrap on it and not a lacquered stain to beat up in a bar. And as Bob says, if a 500.00 set can be made to look good and sound good, fine. The 5000.00 guitar can be put in a case during breaks, drums cannnot.

That is true about the tools. The point I was making is a well made quality pro gear will last a long time. I wish I could have another kit in cases ready to go. I play almost every weekend and it is can get tiring to set up and practice and pack up and gig. I just don't have the cash to own another kit. I am glad I have pro gear it has done me well.
 
I wish I could have another kit in cases ready to go. I play almost every weekend and it is can get tiring to set up and practice and pack up and gig.
By owning five inexpensive kits I can leave one kit at the Rock/Country bands practice studio, One kit at the Jazz bands practice studio. I just bring a cymbal bag to band practice.
I have one kit set up at home. I have two kits bagged and ready to go gigging when needed.
Most of my drums and cymbals were bought used.
 
Snap On is great but you have 100's of individual pieces that can be replaced cheaply or under warrantee if they break. Drums are not that way. I understand you thought but I also would have a set with a durable wrap on it and not a lacquered stain to beat up in a bar. And as Bob says, if a 500.00 set can be made to look good and sound good, fine. The 5000.00 guitar can be put in a case during breaks, drums cannnot.

Also, if my kit was made entirely from high tempered steel, I wouldn't worry about it getting damaged. I'd worry about everything else getting damaged.
 
Ouch, a bit tough that DMC. Although Bo's comment was slightly blinkered regarding a wide range of gig applications, I don't think it was personal towards you. Your cocktail kit is fantastic, & sounds great too, especially in the appropriate setting. I think Bo was thinking in terms of higher energy gigs.

You are right. I was too mean there and thanks for pointing it out. I took Bo's post too personally and I should not have. I apologize.
 
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